


Sunshine

by dreamerbydawn



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, cute nicknames
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 18:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6126724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerbydawn/pseuds/dreamerbydawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Len calls Barry a lot of things that aren't his name, but there's one in particular, that, even though he doesn't use very often, is without a doubt Barry's favorite. </p><p>OR</p><p> 5 times Len calls Barry something special and the one time Barry asks him about it</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crimson1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimson1/gifts), [LiselleVelvet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiselleVelvet/gifts).



> This was inspired by a Captain America fic by Belovedmuerto! 
> 
> And is dedicated to two of my favorite Coldflash writers, for all the lovely lovely works they're constantly posting! Sorry if it's totally random though xx

 Len calls Barry a lot of things that aren’t his name.

 Scarlet and Kid are the most common, but there are a ton of other names on that list – some are traditional nicknames, _sweetheart_ and _darling_ and _baby_ and the like; _honey_ or _dear_ when Len is being an ass, and trying to get under Barry’s skin.

 But there are others - _sleepyhead_ when Barry snuggles into bed unwilling to get to work, _freckles_ when they’re cuddling on the couch and Len’s fingertips are tracing Barry's skin, drawing patterns and connecting the moles and freckles with leisure, _brat_ every time Barry steals his coffee, _Show off_ when he’s well – being a cocky superhero, _Flash_ is something that is drawled out cold and angry after Barry pisses him off by being reckless, again.

 The list is far from finite, and Len keeps coming up with these names all the time. Most of them are just adjectives that fit the situation Barry is in and not used more than once.

 Truth be told, the monikers don’t really bother Barry; sure it sometimes looks like his boyfriend doesn’t realize that Barry has a name that’s perfectly usable, but he simply rolls his eyes and tries not to acknowledge most of it, in fear that it will otherwise stick.

 It’s bad enough that he can’t seem to shake off being called a kid…

 But there is one name that Barry knows is special.

 

**1.**

 First time he hears it, they’ve just had a fight.

 That shouldn’t be new, the Flash and Captain Cold are constantly at odds. They’re both used to it – all of Central City is used to it.

 But that was the problem. Flash fights Cold repeatedly and neither of them let it bother them. Most people would be surprised how well they compartmentalize their lives like that, and honestly, Barry is a little surprised he’s capable of doing that at all. He’s never quite one to draw lines with people he cares about.

 Either way, he usually doesn’t think too much on it, not looking a gift horse in the mouth and all that…

 Which is why, this argument is particularly jarring - because _Barry_ and _Len_ don’t fight. They never have before.

 They bicker of course, Len riles Barry up just to see the color rise in his cheeks, and Barry leaves the dishes in the sink or childishly hides Len’s coaster’s to see the other man scowl, but other than that, there was just the one time where they’d gone down the Disney Vs Pixar route that hadn’t ended well.

 So when Len slams the door in Barry’s face and leaves him alone in the other man’s apartment, Barry can’t help the tears stinging in his eyes.

 He’s just so overwhelmingly _hurt_ and each second Len doesn’t come back makes him curl tighter and tighter into himself.

 Still curled in a ball and clutching Len’s pillow, Barry has been drifting in the land of not-quite-awake-but-not-entirely-asleep, when the bedroom door is carefully nudged open.

 “Len?” Barry croaks, trying to make an effort into sitting up.

 “Sleep _Solnishka_ , we can talk in the morning” Len murmurs, his lips suddenly against Barry’s temple and a soothing hand already slipping into his hair.

  Barry’s too emotionally drained to protest.

 

**2.**

 Barry knew he’d encounter Gideon again at some point in his life, having been the one to create the AI and all that.

 But he absolutely does not expect to receive a call from the Waverider, right smack in the middle of lunch at the CCPD.

 He doesn’t think on it much right then, too pre-occupied with worrying about an injured Len, and running to Star City.

 Gideon is guiding him through the comms in his ear, and just as he arrives at the deceptively empty field, the shape of the space ship materializes in front of him.

 Barry runs straight to the med bay - thanks again to the AI - and sees the Legends crew all gathered around the single bed, that’s currently housing Barry’s pale and unconscious boyfriend.

 There are exclamations of surprise and way too many questions asked, but Barry has already pushed his cowl back and taken Len’s hand in his own, attention divided between his partner and the AI that is currently filling him in on the situation.

 Once he is assured that Len is going to be alright, he feels a rush of gratitude towards Gideon – not only for the explanations that were offered to him, but also to the ones given out to the rest of his team.

 He’s also equally happy with his future self, both for creating Gideon and for having the foresight to program it to alert Barry every time Len is in danger.

 On the other hand, he doesn’t think Rip is too happy knowing Gideon is going to accept any command given by Barry, with or without regard to Hunter’s personal instructions. Honestly Barry isn’t exactly looking forward to when Len finds out that little tid-bit ether.

 (He is almost a hundred percent sure that the other man will take full advantage of that any way he can)

 For the moment though, Barry sits by Len’s bedside, grateful to be left alone with the other man as he waits through the afternoon for him to wake up.

 “ _Solnishka_ ” Len breathes out, blue eyes latching on to Barry within seconds of pulling open.

 “Hey, you’re okay, you’re okay” Barry is clutching Len’s hand, the reassurance falling from his lips, in reality an attempt to convince himself as much as Len.

 “Yes I am” Len agrees softly “Will be even better in my own home”

 “You’ve got three broken ribs and –“ Barry begins to argue before spotting the look in Len’s eyes and nodding “But yeah, let’s get you home”

 ----  
  

 This time, Barry remembers to check the meaning. He waits of course, until he’s got Len back in bed after some food and all the prescribed medication.

 Resting against the headboard and stretching his legs out, Barry keeps a hand over Len’s heart while the other man is sleeping on his lap, and finally digs out his phone.

 He already knows it’s Russian, having been made aware of Len’s ancestry pretty early into their relationship.

 It doesn’t stop the way his heart skips a beat when he types the word into the translator and it reads _sunshine_.

 

**3.**

 Of course, the Legends knowing about his relationship meant Oliver would find out.

 Not that Barry had given that a thought recently, it had kind of faded out of his mind after the first couple of weeks with Len; and this week especially, he’d been too busy mothering his partner and making him comfortable to spare a thought about Oliver’s reaction. 

 So much, that he’s caught entirely off guard when the Green Arrow makes an appearance.

 It doesn’t go well.

 It starts off horribly in fact…

 And then it gets worse.

 Oliver being Oliver, has the approximation of a brick wall’s sensitivity about the whole thing, and Len of course _cannot_ help himself when given a target to infuriate.

 Neither of them seems to care about what Barry is trying to say though, and already he can feel the approaching headache waiting to slam into him with all the force of a speeding train.

 When he finally decides that enough is enough, he snaps at both of them to shut up, not willing to hear another word, he instead picks Oliver up bodily and delivers him back to Team Arrow.

 The run back to Central City was meant to calm him down, but it hasn’t done much by the way of that, and he’s still glaring at Len when he walks back in.

 The stony silence between them lasts a while, and when Barry finally climbs into bed much later in the night, he makes sure to stay on the far end of the bed and away from his partner.

 Not that it does any good, Len is already reaching out, tugging at Barry’s arm and urging him to roll over, because Len can’t with the state of his ribs.

 “Come on _Solnishka_ , I’m sorry” The apology is as sincere as it’s ever going to be; and even though Barry knows that Len isn’t apologizing for his behavior with Oliver, and that, this is strictly about hurting Barry’s feelings, he still rolls over.

 

**4.**

 Barry is tired to the bone, exhaustion seeping into his body from his very soul.

 It’s been a long two weeks after Caitlin had been shot, and Barry has hardly had more than a handful of hours of sleep the whole time.

 She’s going to wake up in a couple of days though, and he should be happy about it.

 A part of him is screaming it’s relief.

 But it’s overshadowed by the fact that they had injected her with the metahuman gene. Spliced her current genome structure and injected it with carefully engineered metahuman genes.

 It was the only way to keep her alive.

 And already, Barry and Cisco were both well aware of exactly what her powers would be, once she woke up.

 Of course, Harry thinks there’s a chance the gene won’t be triggered, that it would take another particle accelerator explosion or something of that sort for it to happen.

 But with the luck Team Flash usually had, there wasn’t a chance _in hell,_ that Caitlin wouldn’t be shooting ice out of her fingertips, sometime in the near future.

 Iris had tried to convince him that it still doesn’t have to mean Caitlin would ever become Killer Frost, and he wants to believe her, desperately.

 He just can’t.

 Instead, he’s in Len’s arms, sobbing as he wishes over and over that he could have saved her _before_ the bullets had a chance to lodge themselves in her body. What was the point of being the Flash and keeping the streets of Central City safe, if his best friend got mugged and left for dead on the street?

 “It wasn’t your fault _Solnishka_ ” Len tells him once Barry doesn’t have tears to cry anymore.

  He doesn’t have the energy to explain that it was, instead, he presses himself closer to Len, hanging on to the other man for his sanity and letting him press gentle kisses into Barry’s hair.

 

**5.**

 Rip Hunter is an absolute and total asshole.

 Barry’s always known that Len wasn’t fond of the man, but he’d put it down to the fact that Len always takes time to warm up to anyone, especially if they tried to be an authority figure.

 Now though, meeting the time master for the second time, Barry can feel his intense dislike bubbling up uncontrollably.

 “You cannot fix time. If it’s been altered, you meddling with it again is just going to make it worse” He tries to explain for what feels like the millionth time.

 Most of the crew has already given up on the argument, not seeing either Barry or Rip willing to budge on their decision – and Barry would feel bad about being this stubborn, but _honestly_ , Rip’s idea to go back a second time into the same timeline, and _hope_ they wouldn’t run into their other time travelling selves was just ridiculous.

 “Which one of us here is the time master from the future Mr. Allen?” Rip questions and Barry can’t help glare balefully.

 “A _rogue_ time master with an obsession for revenge” He corrects, stubbornly crossing his arms against his chest.

 Mick grunts in amusement and out of the corner of his eye Barry, catches Sara and Ray grimacing at the words.

 “Vandal Savage –“ Rip begins again, and Barry swears he’s going to strangle the man if he hears him speak that name one more time.

 “Yes we’ve all heard what he’s done Rip, conquering the world is going to be a hell of a lot harder if _you_ end up destroying it with this mission. Find him somewhere else” He snaps and can clearly see Rip’s patience wearing thin.

 The trench coat wearing man steps forward, almost in Barry’s face as he warns.

 “I’ve watched Men of Steel die and Dark Knights fall. The Flash doesn’t survive either Mr. Allen, none of the precious Justice –“

  At Rip’s mention of Barry’s future self, Len stiffens. It’s imperceptible, an action Barry only notices because of how attuned he is to his partner’s tells, and while Barry has never let on that he was most likely going to disappear in another nine years, he doesn’t want Len to hear anything about the future from Rip either. 

 “I’ve seen my future Rip, I know when the Flash is gone.” He cuts in, hurriedly adding before Len can speak “But I’m here now and I can stop you from doing this.”

 “You think you’re a hero because you saved one city?” Rip demands, anger rolling off him now “I’m trying to save the world Mr. Allen, everyone on this ship is fighting a battle bigger than you can –“

 His words are cut off when Len suddenly puts himself between Barry and the time master, actually shoving at the other man to get in the middle, the previous shock having shifted to cold fury now.

 “Everyone on this ship” Len begins “is a _nobody_ you scrounged up from history Rip. No one here amounts to anything.”

 The words have an instant reaction, most of the Legends gathered around straighten and Barry himself is gaping.

 “Len, that’s not what-” he tries to say but his partner is still glaring at Rip.

 “No scarlet, it’s true.” Len interrupts again “We take jolly trips through time, and fight little battles trying to save the world but end up screwing it up even worse. We don’t matter”

 “Of course you do! You make a difference!”  Barry insists, immediately changing tracks and focusing his attention solely on Len now.

 “Debatable.” His partner tells him, sparing Barry a quick glance before turning to the time master again.

 “But Rip, he’s the Flash. He was a twenty five year old kid that woke up after being hit by lightning, and has run around every single day since to save lives. He travels through time _without_ a fancy space ship and leaves the timeline unchanged because it’s the right thing to do no matter the personal cost”

 Len’s words are soft, spoken in a drawl that’s sending a chill up Barry’s spine. The threat he knows coming Rip’s way is almost tangible.

 “There is only one hero here Rip and he’s not part of your crew. You ever forget that and we will have problems”

 “Len –“ Barry chokes, wanting with all his heart to contradict because that isn’t even remotely true.

 But he’s still taken aback and entirely too shocked to argue – he knew Len loved him, there had never been any doubt about that, but he had no clue that his partner thought this highly of the Flash.

 “Don’t _Solnishka_ , you’re better than us” is the only other thing Len would say on the subject. Barry is too stunned to voice his disagreement. 

 

**+1**

 Len doesn’t use it much, but every time he does; it warms Barry’s soul. There’s just something about the way he utters the word, always with such reverence and tenderness that Barry can’t help feel treasured.

 And he’s always so busy basking in that feeling, that it ends up taking him three whole years before he asks about it.

 They’re in bed, Barry lying almost totally on top of Len, head resting on the other man’s chest, hand and leg swung over the hard body beneath him, and Len simply holding him close, wrapping both arms around Barry.

 A Legends mission had kept them apart for almost a month, and it’s so nice to finally wake up next to each other after all this time.

 Barry lets out a contented hum, shifting to nuzzle his head into the crook of Len’s neck, even as he feels Len’s hand begin to rub across his back.

 “Good morning _Solnishka_ ” Len greets softly, and for once the words don’t lull Barry into the safe place they usually take him – they can’t when he’s already there.

 “Why do you call me that?” He asks, lazy in his curiosity, lips brushing against Len’s skin as he speaks.

 He feels the way Len shifts under him, the hitch of his breath at Barry’s question, but there isn’t any tension there, not even in the way Len holds him closer – so Barry stays where he is, keeping his eyes closed still.

 “Light at the end of the tunnel Barry” Len answers after a long pause “My mother once told me that one day the sun would shine, that all I had to do was survive until…Solnishka”

 Barry can hear the smile in the last word, and begins to kiss up Len’s neck in response. He trails his lips over Len’s jaw, still stubbornly not opening his eyes but seeking for his partner’s lips.

 Len tilts his head a bit, easily catching Barry’s lips to gives him a soft, lingering kiss; broken only by Barry drawing back a bit after a few minutes to whisper another badly kept secret of his. 

 “Love you Lenny”

  

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like Len's mum is Russian. Who knew? (She's not, probably could be... I don't know?)
> 
> Anyway, ummm.... I hope you liked it?

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Windows Let You See Sunshine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8258954) by [Hiver_Frost_Elf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiver_Frost_Elf/pseuds/Hiver_Frost_Elf)




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